FDA Nutrition Standards

The FDA will soon have nutrition labeling standards for food packaging.

On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it would issue required nutrition labeling standards for food companies. With no currently enforced criteria, companies can create labels promoting the positive aspects of products, while downplaying the negatives—like deeming sugary cereals a good source of vitamins and fiber. One such nutrition labeling campaign, the Smart Choices program, gained attention from the FDA and consumers for its misleading labels when it launched this summer. Under the FDA changes, a company does not have to put nutritional information on the front of its products, but if it wants to do so it must meet agency guidelines.